My friend Ajit invented this absolutely unusual recipe on the spot.
the husband and Ajit
We were all in Mahabaleshwar, wondering about the dinner menu. Naan and Kaali Dal were already in the picture, and he volunteered to make an Aloo (Potato) veggie. This jovial, happy – go – lucky, man waltzed into the kitchen at 10 am, fiddled around with pots and pans, and waltzed back out. Then at 7 pm, he took a stiff drink of whisky in his hand, asked for a bottle of rum, (leaving me wondering, as to how we will get him off the kitchen floor and into bed!!) and marched into the kitchen again. I confess to taking a few peeks into the kitchen, just to check if he was still standing. The one time I peeped in, I saw him drain the bottle of Rum into the pan of simmering potatoes. I heaved a sigh of relief, and went about my business grinning, impatiently waiting to taste these crazy Rum laden potatoes.
Rum Wale Aloo – a la Ajit
I really don’t need to tell you how good it was, because I know as soon as you read the recipe you will definitely want to try it at least once. After that, you will be hooked. And all those who eat it with you will be hooked. I have already made it thrice in a span of three weeks, and I am a very very happy person when mealtime arrives.
This dish takes a little bit of planning, a little bit of sweat and a great deal of Rum. I really suggest you make it just the way I have mentioned. Everything that Ajit, has put into this Rum Wale Aloo – a la Ajit – has a purpose and imparts some sort of flavour.
Get hold of the smallest potatoes you can. And please see that all of them are approximately the same size. This way, they will all cook uniformly.
Marinate it for an at least 6 hours. I did a huge boo boo, last week. I was asked to make this recipe for a friend’s party and so I marinated the potatoes, a night before to make it next morning, only to realise that I have miscalculated the dates. It was not due for yet another day. I just said a fervent prayer and popped the potatoes into the fridge and let it marinate for yet another 24 hours. So in all – 36 hours of deep marination. Whoa! It cooked faster, tasted bloody good and it did not smell like over worn socks.
So yay!! Go for it – marinate it for as long as you can.
Besides a long marinating time, it also takes a little while to cook. I would suggest good Jazz music in the background (Why Jazz? – well it just seems to set the right tone for this dish! All sultry and seductive. Something good waiting to happen!) A good drink in the hand, and a happy go – lucky nature like the inventor of this dish.
Oye Ajit – Cheers!!
Enjoying a Cigar, after hard days work.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 pax | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 1 hour | 8 + hours |
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Marinated for hours, drenched in black rum, cooked patiently on slow fire - to be eaten with grins and smiles!
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- 500 gm Baby Potato wash well and keep the skin on.
- 300 gm Curds
- 1 Tbspn garlic pound in mortar pestle
- 1 tspn Ginger pound in mortar pestle
- 1 Tbspn Green Chillies pound in mortar pestle
- 1 tspn Turmeric (haldi)
- 1 tspn Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tspn Corriander Powder (dhania powder)
- 1 Tbspn salt
- 2 tspn Lime Juice
- 4 Tbspn Mustard Oil (rai ka tel)
- 2 Pcs Bay Leaves (tej patta)
- 1 Pc Black Cardamom (badi elaichi)
- 15 / 20 Pcs Black Pepper whole
- 4 Pcs Clove (laung)
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 3 Pcs Kashmiri Red Chillies whole
- 1 Tbspn Asafoetida (hing)
- 1 1/2 Cups onion Diced into long thick slices of appx 1/2 cm each
- 2 Tbspn garlic pound in mortar pestle
- 1 Tbspn Ginger pound in mortar pestle
- 2 Tbspn Green Chillies pound in mortar pestle
- 1 tspn Turmeric (haldi)
- 2 tspn Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Tbspn Corriander Powder (dhania powder)
- 1 Tbspn salt
- 1 Cup Dark Rum (old monk preferably)
- 1 Cup Tomato Puree
- 1 tspn Lime Juice
- 1/4 Cup Corriander Leaves (dhania patta)
- Wash the potatoes very well. Poke holes in all the pcs, with a fork. Please see to it that all sides of the potato are poked
- Mix all the ingredients of the marinade into the curds. Mix well.
- Toss the potatoes into the marinade. Mix it well and keep covered in a refrigerator for 8 hours.
- Pour the oil in a wok (kadhai), and set it on medium to high flame.
- When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the ingredients of the intitial tempering. Cover it so that the flavours retain within the oil
- In exactly 30 to 40 seconds, open the lid and take all the tempering material out. Leave the oil inside the wok.
- Reduce the flame.
- Add the hing, and within seconds add the onions.
- Fry onions really well. Keep stirring. They should become brown but not burnt. This will take appx 25 to 30 minutes.
- Pound the garlic, ginger and green chillies in a mortar pestle, and add to the onions.
- Add the turmeric, corriander powder, salt and red chilli powder as well.
- Fry well.
- Drain the potatoes from the marinade. Keep the marinade aside.
- Add the potatoes. Mix well.
- Cover the wok, and leave the potatoes to steam. This should take appx 25 to 30 minutes again.
- Keep mixing once in a while so that it does not stick to the wok.
- When the potatoes are cooked, take off the cover and add the marinade.
- Mix well and let the marinade dry up.
- All this while the fire should be at medium to low. Keep it this way.
- When the marinade has cooked and dried up add the rum. (finally!!)
- Let it cook coating the potatoes by stirring and tossing.
- The colour will turn black.
- When the rum reduces to half, add the lime juice and tomato puree.
- Toss and mix well.
- When the tomato cooks, take off the fire. You will know its cooked when it does not smell raw anymore.
- Garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot with any form of Roti.
This dish requires patience. But your patience will be well rewarded when your palate tastes the punch of rum with the soft but spicy potatoes.
Use the hing liberally. If its very good quality you may reduce it a little, but its store bought use the entire specified amount.
Be careful with the salt. The marinade already has salt, then you add some more while cooking.
Please use all the ingredients as specified. The longer you marinate the potatoes, the faster it will cook. If you want some gravy (this is just coated in the rum and onion gravy - not a runny gravy), then add appx 1 Cup of water in the end, after the tomato cooks. Give it a good boil and you are ready to go.